System and method for visual communication between buyers and sellers

ABSTRACT

A visual communications (VC) tool enables visual communication over a data communications network. An email is sent to a recipient containing a link to a first visual arrangement generated by a sender. The first visual arrangement may include images of various products. The first visual arrangement is displayed via a web browser in a first display area of the VC tool in response to actuation of the link in the email message. The recipient then selects a first image in the first display area. The selection may include dragging and dropping the first image into a second display area of the VC tool. The selection triggers the generating of a second visual arrangement which includes a copy of the first image. The copy of the first image is displayed in a second display area concurrently with the display of the first image in the first display area.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/043,469, filed on Feb. 12, 2016, which is a continuation applicationof Ser. No. 14/083,424, filed on Nov. 18, 2013, which is a continuationof U.S. application Ser. No. 13/194,905 filed on Jul. 29, 2011, which isa continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/012,279, filed onFeb. 1, 2008, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/053,235 filed on Feb. 7, 2005 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,426,693), whichclaims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application60/635,808, filed on Dec. 13, 2004, and is a continuation-in-part ofInternational Application No. PCT/US2003/024695, filed on Aug. 7, 2003,and International Application No. PCT/US2003/024695 which in turn claimsthe benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/401,806, filed onAug. 7, 2002, the content of all of which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People in the fashion and lifestyle-driven industries often struggle tocommunicate their ideas with each other in an efficient and safe manner.The increase in the usage of electronic communication, such as, forexample, electronic mail (e-mail) has somewhat helped theircommunication efforts. However, traditional e-mail is not catered to thefashion and lifestyle-driven industries where a lot of the informationtransmitted is visual information, such as pictures. This is because theapplication generating the pictures is separate from the e-mailapplication used for their transmission. Thus, the pictures aregenerally transmitted by the e-mail application in the form of anattachment.

The use of e-mails with attachments is undesirable for various reasons.First, any comment in the body of the e-mail about an attached image isseparate from the attachment itself. This makes it difficult to maintainmultiple comments received about the image correlated and organized withthe image. Furthermore, people receiving an image attachment andresponding with a comment on the image may not reattach the image to theresponding e-mail, leaving it to the recipient to figure out whichimages go with which e-mails.

Second, some company networks do not allow employees to receive e-mailsthat contain attachments. Employees in such situations may have toutilize other mechanisms for receiving the attachments to which commentsare desired.

Third, when changes are made to a presentation, it must generally bereattached to an e-mail and retransmitted to ensure that all recipienthave the latest version of the presentation. During a development phasewhere there may be constant feedback and modification to thepresentation, such retransmission of attachments puts a strain on acompany's bandwidth.

Finally, there is currently no mechanism to prevent a person receiving apicture in the form of an attachment from reproducing and forwarding theattachment to others. Thus, the author of the picture runs a risk thatthis or her copyright rights for the picture may be violated byproviding the picture in an attachment.

Current e-mail technology, even without attachments, also does notprovide an efficient way to track comments about a given topic. Areceiving person needs to make sure that the most recent e-mail aboutthe topic is opened to make sure that he or she has the most recentcomments. Also, when comments are transmitted concurrently by differentpeople, the recipient generally has to open multiple e-mails to makesure that all of the comments are reviewed.

Traditional electronic mail, therefore, is difficult and frustrating touse for designers, suppliers, and retailers in the fashion andlifestyle-driven industries. Accordingly, what is desired is a visualcommunications tool catered to the fashion and lifestyle-drivenindustries where a majority of the information being communicated isvisual information, and where there is constant feedback about thevisual information that needs to be tracked and correlated to the visualinformation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment, the present invention is directed to amethod for visual communication over a data communications network. Themethod includes receiving from a recipient of an email message,actuation of a link included in the email message. The link isassociated with a first visual arrangement generated by a sender, wherethe first visual arrangement includes a plurality of images for aplurality of products. The method further includes providing to therecipient a visual communications tool including a first display areaand a second display area. The first visual arrangement is displayed inthe first display area of the visual communications tool in response toreceipt of the actuation of the link in the email message. When therecipient selects a first image in the first display area, a secondvisual arrangement is generated which includes a copy of the firstimage. The selection may include dragging and dropping the first imageinto the second display area. The copy of the first image is displayedin a second display area of the visual communications tool concurrentlywith the display of the first image in the first display area.

According to one embodiment of the invention, generating the secondvisual arrangement includes storing the copy of the first image in animage database, storing an association between the copy of the firstimage and the recipient, storing an association between the copy of thefirst image and the second visual arrangement, and storing anassociation between the second visual arrangement and the recipient.According to one embodiment, the associations are based on uniqueidentifiers assigned to the recipient, to the images, and to the visualarrangements.

According to one embodiment of the invention, each of the plurality ofimages in the first visual arrangement is associated with informationfor a product depicted in the corresponding image. According to thisembodiment, the generating of the second visual arrangement includesmaking a copy of the information for the product depicted in the firstimage, and storing an association between the copy of the informationand the copy of the first image. According to one embodiment, theassociation is based on unique identifiers assigned to the copy of theinformation and the copy of the first image.

The copy of the information may be displayed in response to actuation ofthe copy of the first image. A modification may then be received for thedisplayed information, and identification one or more of other images inthe second visual arrangement may be received for applying themodification to the displayed information and to the information forproducts depicted in the identified one or more of the other images.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a user command is receivedto replace the copy of the first image. The copy of the first image isreplaced with a second image in response to the user command. Thereplacing of the first image occurs without replacing the information(metadata) for the product depicted in the first image.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a notes option is providedvia the visual communications tool to enter notes for a particular imageincluded in the first visual arrangement. Actuation of the notes optionis received, and a window is displayed in response for entering notesfor the particular image. When the notes entered for the particularimage are received, the notes are associated to a copy of the particularimage, and the copy is added to the second visual arrangement. The notesmay be retrieved and displayed in response to selecting the copy of theparticular image in the second visual arrangement.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a user selected displaylayout is identified, and a recipient of the second visual arrangementis also identified. The second visual arrangement is displayed for therecipient according to the selected layout.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a search term entered viathe visual communications tool is received, and a search of imagesstored in one or more remote information sources is invoked based on thesearch term. One or more matching images are then displayed in the firstdisplay area of the visual communications tool. When user selection ofone of the matching images is received, a copy of the selected image isadded to the second visual arrangement, and the copy of the selectedimage is displayed in the second display area of the visualcommunications tool concurrently with the display of the selected imagein the first display area. The user selection of the matching image mayinclude dragging and dropping the matching image into the second displayarea.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a change associated withthe first visual arrangement is received, and a snapshot of the firstvisual arrangement is taken including the change. The snapshot is storedin a database. The taking of the snapshot may include making a copy ofinformation records associated with the first visual arrangement. Thechange may be adding a new image to the first visual arrangement,deleting one of the plurality of images included in the first visualarrangement, and/or modifying information of a product depicted in oneof the plurality of images included in the first visual arrangement.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a user command is receivedto view a history of revisions associated with the first visualarrangement. A plurality of revision entries are displayed in responseto the user command. User selection of one of the revision entries isreceived, and a first snapshot of the first visual arrangementassociated with the selected revision entry is retrieved. A secondsnapshot of the first visual arrangement associated with a revisionentry prior to the selected revision entry is also retrieved. The firstsnapshot and the second snapshot are compared, and differences in thefirst visual arrangement are identified between the first and secondsnapshots. A list of those differences are then displayed.

According to one embodiment of the invention, an order option isprovided via the visual communications tool for placing an electronicorder for a particular product depicted in an image included in thefirst visual arrangement. Actuation of the order option is received, anorder pad is displayed for the particular product, and a quantity of theproduct to be ordered is received via the order pad. A visual orderconfirmation may then be provided including an image for each orderedproduct according to the group to which the image belongs.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the status of the emailsent to the recipient is tracked, and a report is generated for thesender based on the tracked status. The tracking may include trackingwhether the email was viewed by the recipient, and/or whether one ormore of the plurality of the products was ordered by the recipient.

According to one embodiment, the invention is also directed to acomputer apparatus adapted for visual communication over a datacommunications network. The computer apparatus includes a processor anda memory. The memory stores program instructions which are configured tobe executed by the processor to provide the functionalities describedabove.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will be more fully understood when considered with respect tothe following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanyingdrawings. Of course, the actual scope of the invention is defined by theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a visual communications system according toone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a process implemented by a visualcommunications (VC) tool according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a screen shot of a graphical user interface provided by the VCtool of FIG. 2 according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a screen shot of updated navigator and work areas upon userselection of an inbox folder according to one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 5 is a screen shot of updated navigator and work areas upon userselection of a work folder according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a screen shot of a picture information window according to oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a screen shot of a folio generated by the VC tool of FIG. 2according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a screen shot of an exemplary storyboard generated by the VCtool of FIG. 2 according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a screen shot of an exemplary presentation according to oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a screen shot of information displayed on a details area uponselection of a mail tab according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a screen shot of a contacts window according to oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 is an exemplary web page accessed by a non-VC tool recipientaccording to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a visual communications system accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic layout diagram of a database model for storingand organizing information in a database of a central data storeaccording to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 is a screen shot of a VC tool according to one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 16 is a screen shot of a VC tool displaying a reply history windowaccording to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 is a screen shot of an exemplary visual arrangement publishedvia a vmail that is displayed in a first display area of a VC toolaccording to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 18 is a screen shot of the exemplary visual arrangement of FIG. 17,showing a selection of an image published to the user via the vmailaccording to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 19 is a screen shot of a VC tool showing a copy of the imageselected in FIG. 18, in a second display area of the VC tool accordingto one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 20 is a screen shot of a VC tool depicting a dragging and droppingof an image from a first display area to a second display area of the VCtool according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 21 is a screen shot of a VC tool including a web images tab forsearching for web images according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 22 is a screen shot of a VC tool showing a notes option withrespect to a displayed image according to one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 23 is a screen shot of a VC tool displaying a notepad uponselection of a notes option according to one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 24 is a screen shot of a VC tool showing a copied image in a seconddisplay area of the VC tool according to one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 25 is a screen shot depicting display of metadata informationstored for the copied image of FIG. 24 according to one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 26 is a screen shot of the metadata information of FIG. 25including changes entered by an author according to one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 27 is a screen shot of an edit image option according to oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 28 is a screen shot of a VC tool displaying a replace image pop-upwindow in response to selection of the edit image option of FIG. 27,according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 29 is a screen shot of a VC tool displaying a set layout optionaccording to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 30 is a screen shot of a VC tool displaying a pop-up window forsharing a visual arrangement in a vmail according to one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 31 is a screen shot of a vmail received by a recipient according toone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 32 is a screen shot of the visual arrangement that is displayedupon selection of a link in the vmail depicted in FIG. 31 according toone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 33 is a screen shot of an exemplary visual arrangement shared witha recipient via a vmail and which displays an order option according toone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 34 is a screen shot of a VC tool displaying an order pop-up windowin response to selection of the order option of FIG. 33, according toone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 35 is a screen shot of a user's shopping cart with images andinformation of all products that have been selected for purchase,according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 36 is a screen shot of a VC tool providing a visual orderconfirmation of purchased items according to one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 37 is a screen shot depicting a user dragging and dropping an imagedisplayed in the visual order confirmation of FIG. 36, into a seconddisplay area of a VC tool according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 38 is a screen shot of an order confirmation pop-up window withdetails on products that have been ordered along with images for theordered products according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 39 is a screenshot of a VC tool allowing a user to view activitiessurrounding vmails according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 40 is a screenshot of a VC tool allowing a user to view detailedinformation about activities surrounding vmails according to oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 41 is a screenshot of a VC tool displaying an executive dashboardaccording to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 42 is a screen shot of a breakdown of total sales revenue bycustomer name according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 43 is a screen shot of detailed information about a sale to aparticular customer according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 44 is a screen shot of detailed information about customers whohave viewed vmails but have not placed orders according to oneembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 45A-45C are flow charts of a process for generating a new visualarrangement based on a visual arrangement published to a recipientaccording to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 46 is a more detailed flow chart of generating a new visualarrangement including a selected image according to one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 47A is a screen shot of a VC tool providing a history pop-up windowaccording to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 47B is an exemplary screen shot of a VC tool providing anotherhistory pop-up window according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 48 is a flow diagram of a process for publishing and republishingvisual arrangements according to one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 49 is a flow diagram of a process for outputting revisioninformation in response to selection of a particular revision entry fromthe history pop-up window of FIG. 47A according to one embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The various embodiments of the present invention are directed to avisual communications tool for creating visual arrangements andpresenting the visual arrangements to others for feedback and comment inan efficient and secure manner. The comments received for the visualarrangements are tracked and automatically correlated to thearrangements, allowing them to be concurrently displayed on a singlescreen, using a single application.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a visual communications system according toone embodiment of the invention. The system includes a visualcommunications (VC) server 10 coupled to various end devices 12, 14, 16,over a data communications network 18. The data communications networkmay be a local area network, a private wide area network, public widearea network (e.g. the Internet), and the like, implemented via one ormore known wired or wireless solutions. The end devices 12, 14, 16 maytake the form of a personal computer, laptop, or consumer electronicsdevice, or the like.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a generating end device 12includes a VC tool 20 a used for generating a visual arrangement andstoring the visual arrangement in a local data store 24 a. Thegenerating end device 12 may obtain the VC tool 20 in any mannerconventional in the art, such as, for example, by downloading the toolfrom the VC server 10. The generating end device 12 uses the VC tool 20to further publish the generated visual arrangement to commenting enddevices 14 and 16.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the commenting end device14 also includes a copy of the VC tool 20 b which is used to view thearrangement transmitted by the generating and device 12. If allowed bythe generating end device 12, the images in the visual arrangement maybe stored in the commenting end device's data store 24 b, and reused ingenerating other visual arrangements via the VC tool 20 b. Thecommenting end device 14 may further use the VC tool 20 b to generateand transmit comments with respect to the arrangement. The comments maybe transmitted to only the generating end device 12, or to both thegenerating end device and another commenting end device 16.

A commenting device need not include the VC tool to view and comment ona presented visual arrangement. For example, the commenting end device16 may still view and comment on the arrangement even without the VCtool. This may be done, for example, via a web browser 22 or likesoftware application used to access the VC server 10 and retrieve a webpage of the visual arrangement. The VC server 10 provides an interfaceon the web page allowing the commenting end device 16 to add commentsfor the presented visual arrangement. The comments may be transmitted toonly the generating end device 12, or to both the generating end deviceand the other commenting end device 14.

The images included in the visual arrangement may not be copied orre-used by the commenting end device 16 given that it is not equippedwith a copy of the VC tool. Even with the VC tool, a commenting enddevice such as end device 14 may not copy or re-use the images unlessthe images are transmitted to the end device 14 in a “shared” mode.

According to one embodiment of the invention, all communication betweenthe end devices 12, 14, 16 occur under the control of the VC server 10.According to one embodiment, all information associated with a newvisual arrangement that is to be published to the commenting end device14 and/or 16 is initially uploaded to the VC server 10 and stored in acentral data store 28. A first time recipient of the visual arrangementequipped with a copy of the VC tool, such as the end device 14,initially downloads the images in the visual arrangement in its ownlocal data store, such as data store 24 b. Thereafter, if the recipientdesires to transmit a comment on the visual arrangement back to thecreating author, only the comment is transmitted to the VC server 10along with a link or reference to the corresponding visual arrangement.The VC server 10 then forwards the comment and the link/reference to theauthor. According to one embodiment of the invention, the VC server 10maintains a copy of the received comment in the central data store 28.

It should be appreciated that the actual images in the visualarrangement are not retransmitted after the initial uploading anddownloading to the recipient(s). If, however, changes are made to theimages included in the visual arrangement, the changed images areuploaded to the VC server 10 for updating the arrangement in the centraldata store 28, and the changed images then forwarded to the recipient(s)equipped with the VC tool.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a process implemented by the visualcommunications (VC) tool 20 a according to one embodiment of theinvention. In step 50, the VC tool 20 a generates a visual arrangement,and in step 52, stores the visual arrangement in the local data store 24a. The visual arrangement may be, for example, a folio organizingdifferent types of pictures, sketches, swatches, and colors. The visualarrangement may also be a storyboard providing a collage of pictures,shapes, annotation, and text, for visualizing concepts and ideas. Thevisual arrangement may further be a slide show of pictures, folios, orstoryboards, for communicating concepts and ideas in an organizedmanner.

Once generated, the visual arrangement is, in step 53, presented orpublished to the commenting end device 14 and/or 16 as desired by theauthor. In this regard, all information associated with the visualarrangement, including all images, descriptions, and comments,hereinafter simply referred to as the visual arrangement, are initiallyuploaded by the VC tool 20 a to the VC server 10. The uploadedinformation is stored in the central data store 28, and a link orreference generated for the visual arrangement.

The VC server 10 then publishes the visual arrangement to the commentingend devices 14 and/or 16. The initial publication of the visualarrangement to the commenting end device 14 with the VC tool 20 binvolves the actual downloading of the arrangement by the commenting enddevice 14. The publication of the visual arrangement to the commentingend device 16 without the VC tool involves the transmission of a link toa web page generated for the visual arrangement. In either case, therecipient receives a notification that the visual arrangement has beenpublished.

The users of the commenting end devices 14, 16 review the visualarrangement and provide comments in response. The comments are thenreceived by the generating end device 12 in step 54. The comments fromthe commenting end device 14 include a reference to the portion of thevisual arrangement to which the comment relates, but does not includethe actual images in the visual arrangement. The comments and the linkto the relevant portion of the visual arrangement are received by the VCserver 10 and forwarded to the appropriate recipients.

In step 56, the VC tool 20 a correlates a received comment to a relevantportion of a corresponding visual arrangement in the local data store 24a. The relevant portion of the corresponding visual arrangement may beidentified via the link or reference that is transmitted with thecomment. The identified visual arrangement is then updated based on thereceived comment.

In step 58, the VC tool 20 a displays the visual arrangement with thecorrelated comment in response to a user command. The user command maybe, for example, a single user action which opens a notification in theuser's inbox that a comment has arrived.

The process described with respect to FIG. 2 allow comments to be kepttogether with the visual arrangement to which the comments are directed.Furthermore, the user need not manipulate different programs forconcurrently viewing the visual arrangement and the associated comments.In addition, bandwidth savings may be achieved by avoiding constantre-transmission of the images in the visual arrangement.

FIG. 3 is a screen shot of a graphical user interface provided by the VCtool 20 a, 20 b (collectively referred to as 20), according to oneembodiment of the invention. The interface includes a navigator area100, work area 102, menu bar 103, and main tool bar 104. The navigatorarea 100 includes a work folder 114 for storing imported pictures andvisual arrangements generated by the author using the VC tool.

The navigator area 100 further includes an inbox folder 106, an outboxfolder 108, a sent items folder 110, and a deleted items folder 112. Theinbox folder 106 stores notifications that arrangements or comments havebeen published. The outbox folder 108 stores copies of arrangements orcomments that are to be published by the VC tool 20, but have not yetbeen delivered to the VC server 10 due to, for example, a lack ofconnection to the server. The sent items folder 108 stores informationon the visual arrangements and notifications that have been published bythe VC tool 20. The deleted items folder 112 stores all pictures,arrangements, and notifications deleted by the VC tool. According to oneembodiment of the invention, the various folders 106-112 may beintegrated with similar folders used in typical e-mail application, suchas, for example, Microsoft Outlook™.

The menu bar 103 contains menu items for accessing the various featuresprovided by the VC tool 20. The more common tasks, such as, for example,the creating, opening, and editing of different types of visualarrangements, importing of pictures, sending/receiving of informationrelated to the visual arrangements, and the like, may be accessed viaone or more buttons incorporated into a main tool bar 104.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the work area 102 displaysa quick start page when the VC tool is invoked. The quick start pageprovides the user with the following options: (1) option to view thecontents in the inbox folder 116; (2) option to create a folio 118; (3)option to create a storyboard 120; (4) option to create a presentation122; and (3) option to search 124 for an item in one of the folderslisted in the navigator area.

FIG. 4 is a screen shot of the updated navigator and work areas 100, 102upon user selection of the inbox folder 106 according to one embodimentof the invention. The navigator area 100 is updated to include a list ofthe visual arrangements 130 that have been published to the VC tool byothers.

The work area 102 is updated to include information on notificationsreceived by the VC tool 20. According to one embodiment of theinvention, the VC tool periodically contacts the VC server 10 for anynew notifications while the VC tool is connected to the datacommunications network 18. Such notifications may include a name for thenotification 132, a sender of the notification 134, a portion of themessage 136, and a date 138. According to one embodiment of theinvention, the name 132 identifies a visual arrangement if thenotification is linked to the visual arrangement.

If the notification is not linked to a visual arrangement, it is simplya textual notification identified by a generic name. For example, thetextual notification may be an invitation transmitted by the VC server10 prior to publishing an arrangement to the VC tool for the first time.The invitation invites the user to accept or decline receipt of thearrangement.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a first type of selectionof a notification (e.g. highlighting the notification) causes thedisplay of a message that is delivered with the notification, on aportion 142 of the work area 102. The message may be a personal messageprovided by the sender, or a default message provided by the VC server10. A default message may provide information, for example, as to whenand who has viewed the visual arrangement published by the VC tool 20.

If the notification is for a published comment, the first type ofselection of the notification further displays the text of the comment150 on another portion 144 of the work area 102. Also displayed is areference 146 to the portion of the visual arrangement to which thecomment relates, and the person 148 publishing the comment. Thereference 146 may be the name of the portion of the visual arrangementand/or one or more thumbnails of images to which the comment relates.

FIG. 5 is a screen shot of the updated navigator area 100 and work area102 upon user selection of the work folder 114 according to oneembodiment of the invention. The navigator area 100 is updated toinclude a list of folders 160 containing the visual arrangementgenerated via the VC tool 20. The name of each folder may indicate thename of the visual arrangement. Furthermore, different icons 162 may beused to easily identify the type of visual arrangement (e.g. a folio,storyboard, or presentation).

The work area 102 is updated to include information on current workstored in the local data store 24 a, 24 b (collectively referred to as24). Such information includes, for example, a name 164 of the work, atype 166 of work, date 168 in which the work was modified, and an author170 of the work.

According to one embodiment of the invention, only pictures that havebeen imported into the VC tool, or included in a visual arrangementshared with the VC tool may be used by the VC tool for generating thevisual arrangements. A picture may be imported into the work folder 114directly upon selection of an import button 172 from the main tool bar104. Pictures may also be imported at any time during the creation of avisual arrangement. In this case, the pictures are imported directly inthe particular folder 160 storing the visual arrangement. Selection of aparticular folder causes the work area 102 to display a list of picturesand/or other visual arrangements included in the folder.

A user command to import a picture causes a display of a browser thatthe author may use to browse and select different picture files that areto be imported into the VC tool 20. According to one embodiment of theinvention, the tool allows the importing of all types of images,including JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, and PDF files. According to oneembodiment of the invention, PDF files are first converted to JPEGimages before importing into the VC tool. To get around the problem oflow quality printouts from JPEG images converted from a PDF file, the VCtool provides a zoom option that allows the JPEG images to be viewed inmore detail.

The author may provide additional information about the picture duringthe importing process. FIG. 6 is a screen shot of a picture informationwindow 200 displayed during the importing process for allowing theauthor to provide information on an imported picture according to oneembodiment of the invention. The picture information window 200 includesa thumbnail 220 of the picture, an author 202, and a current date 204,and prompts the user for a picture type 206, name 208, season 210,delivery 212, source 214, and/or style number 216 information. The usermay further provide a free-text description of the picture in adescription area 218. Selection of a finish button 222 causes theentered information to be stored in the local data store 24 inassociation with the picture.

FIG. 7 is a screen shot of a folio generated by the VC tool 20 accordingto one embodiment of the invention. A new folio may be generated, forexample, upon the selection of a folio button 176 (FIG. 5) from the maintool bar 104. Pictures may then imported into the folio by selecting animport button 254. Other visual arrangements (e.g. storyboards),pictures that have already been imported, or all or portions of visualarrangements shared by others may also be included in the folio byselecting an insert button 256.

Thumbnails of pictures included into the folio are displayed in apicture area 258 of the screen, and details about the folio orindividual pictures in the folio are concurrently displayed in a detailsarea 260 of the screen. The picture area 258 includes one or more rows250 a, 250 b, 250 c with each row identified by a user-entered row label252 a, 252 b, 252 c. The rows may be used, for example, to organize thepicture thumbnails into particular categories. The pictures may bere-organized by clicking and dragging the pictures from one row toanother. A new row may further be generated by clicking and dragging apicture into the picture area below the last row. The picture is theninserted into the newly generated row.

Double clicking on a particular thumbnail allows the associated pictureto be displayed on a separate window in a picture editing mode. Fromthis window, the author may crop, resize, rotate, and otherwisemanipulate the picture. If the changes are saved, the changes arereflected in the picture thumbnail.

The details area 260 provides detailed information on the entire folioor individual pictures included into the folio. In the example screenshot of FIG. 7, the details area 260 displays detailed information onthe entire folio under a folio details tab 278. Such details areprovided by the user of the VC tool 20, and may include a name of thefolio 262 as well as season 262, delivery 266, and source 268information. The user may further provide a detailed description of thefolio in a folio description section 270.

A user may also add or view comments with respect to the folio byselecting a folio comments tab 280. The feature of adding and viewingcomments is described in further detail below with respect to FIG. 9.The user may then transmit the comments by selecting a mail tab 350. Themail feature is described in further detail below with respect to FIGS.10 and 11.

As the user navigates from thumbnail to thumbnail, the user-enteredpicture information relevant to the selected thumbnail is displayed onthe details area 260. The folio details tab 278 and the folio commentstab 280 are respectively replaced with a picture details tab (not shown)and a picture comments tab (not shown) when displaying picture details.The format of the picture details and comments may be same as the foliodetails and comments. In this manner, visual arrangements/pictures andthe textual information describing such arrangements/pictures may bemaintained together and concurrently displayed on a single screen.

The picture and details area 258, 260 contain similar information forother visual arrangements, such as a storyboard or presentation. Thepicture area 258 for a storyboard or presentation includes pictures orother visual arrangements included into the storyboard or presentation,and the details area 260 includes details on the storyboard orpresentation. Furthermore, clicking on a particular picture or visualarrangement included into the storyboard or presentation causes detailson the individual picture or arrangement to be displayed in the detailsarea 260.

FIG. 8 is a screen shot of an exemplary storyboard according to oneembodiment of the invention. A new storyboard may be generated, forexample, upon the selection of a storyboard button 174 (FIG. 5) from themain tool bar 104. A storyboard may be used to combine and edit picturesfor generating mood boards, product groups, fabric collections, and thelike. As with a folio, pictures may be imported or inserted into thepicture area 258. Unlike a folio, however, the pictures are not insertedinto rows. Instead, a picture is first inserted into a corner 304 of thepicture area, and may then be clicked and dragged to a new desiredlocation within the picture area.

Clicking on a particular picture also displays the picture's boundaryline 306, and may be manipulated to resize, rotate, or crop the picture.Text and shapes may also be inserted into the picture area 258 uponselection of text and shape icons 300, 302 in a secondary tool bar 308.

Clicking on a particular picture further causes the details area 260 toswitch from displaying storyboard details to displaying details of theselected picture under a picture details tab 307. Comments on theselected picture may be viewed or added by selecting a picture commentstab 309.

FIG. 9 is a screen shot of an exemplary presentation according to oneembodiment of the invention. A new presentation may be generated, forexample, upon the selection of a presentation button 178 (FIG. 5) fromthe main tool bar 104. A presentation allows the author to generate aslideshow of pictures, folios, or storyboards that have been imported orinserted into the presentation. The slideshow is displayed on aslideshow area 330, and may include a customized cover page picture 334and other pictures/arrangements 336 that have been imported or insertedinto the presentation. An import cover page option allows the importingof a cover page. Unlike the importing of other pictures, importing of acover page does not require detailed information about the cover pagepicture.

A viewer may move forward on the slideshow by selecting a forward button332. Furthermore, view editors 338, 340 may be manipulated to zoom inand out of the pictures displayed on the slideshow area 330.

Selection of a presentation comments tab 310 allows the author to view,add, or delete comments 320 on the entire slideshow. Each commentincludes information on the person 322 making the comment, the date andtime 324 in which the comment was added 324, and the text 326 of thecomment itself. A private comment directed to only the author is markedwith a “private” label. Similar information is provided for commentsprovided for individual pictures upon the selection of a picture and acorresponding picture comments tab, such as, for example, the picturecomments tab 309 of FIG. 8.

It should be appreciated that the comments 320 that are displayed, ifnot added by the user of the VC tool 20, are comments that have beentransmitted by others in notifications received by the VC tool andstored in the inbox folder 106. As discussed above, such notificationsdo not include the actual picture or arrangement to which the commentrelates, but a link to the picture or arrangement, allowing the VC toolto automatically associate the received comment to the correspondingpicture or arrangement. Upon selection of the presentation comments tab310, the VC tool automatically retrieves all comments that have beencorrelated to the current presentation and concurrently displays suchcomments on a single screen with the corresponding images.

The user of the VC tool 20 may make changes to a current visualarrangement, such as, for example, by changing the images, descriptions,or comments in the arrangement, and publish the modified arrangement toone or more recipients via a mail feature invoked upon selecting themail tab 350. FIG. 10 is a screen shot of information displayed on thedetails area 260 upon selection of the mail tab 350 according to oneembodiment of the invention.

A selection recipients option 352 causes display of all contactinformation maintained by the VC tool in a separate contacts window,such as the window displayed on FIG. 11. The user of the VC tool 20selects a desired recipient from a list of contacts 400, and adds therecipient to a share list 362 upon selecting add button 402, or to apresent list 364 upon selecting add button 404. The recipients in theshare list 362 may copy and re-use the pictures and arrangementspublished to such recipients, in their own work. According to oneembodiment of the invention, only other VC tool users may be included asshare recipients.

The recipients in the present list 364 may view and respond withcomments, but may not copy the published pictures. Any person with ane-mail account may be included as a recipient in the present list. Suchpersons need not be VC tool users.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the author of the visualarrangement may set a comment preference as public 358 or private 360.Selection of the public preference causes response comments to be sentto all the recipients identified by the author. Selection of the privatepreference causes response comments to be only sent back to the author.

Prior to making a publication to a non-VC tool recipient who is to viewthe publication as a web page, the author may select a web preview icon354 and receive a link to the web page in an e-mail to the author'se-mail account. Selection of the link allows the author to view the webpage as it would be viewed by the non-VC tool recipient.

Once the author is ready to publish the visual arrangement or commentsin response to a published visual arrangement, the author selects a sendbutton 356. In response, the VC tool causes display of separate messagewindow where the author may enter an optional message to be provided inthe notification delivered to the VC tool recipient, or in the e-maildelivered to the non-VC tool recipient.

After entry of the optional message, the VC tool 20 stores a copy of theinformation to be published in the outbox folder 108 if the VC tool isin an offline mode, and transmits it the next time a connection is madeto the VC server 10. If the VC tool is in an online mode, theinformation to be published is uploaded to the VC server 10 forpresenting to the recipients.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary web page accessed by a non-VC tool recipientaccording to one embodiment of the invention. The web page is accessedvia a link provided by the VC server 10 in an e-mail addressed to therecipient's e-mail account. Upon selection of the link, the recipientmay view the web page via the recipient's web browser, such as the webbrowser 22 of FIG. 1.

The web page displays the published images in a pictures area 430.Details on the images are displayed on a details area 432, and commentsassociated with the images displayed in a comments area 410. Therecipient may add new comments by selecting an add comments button 420,or check for new comments by selecting a check new comments button 422.

Selection of the add comments button 420 causes display of a separatecomments window (not shown) where the user may enter his or her commentsand further select whether the entered comments are to be delivered toonly the publishing author, or to all recipients designated by thepublishing author.

Alternative Embodiment

There is also a need for a visual communications tool for use inbusiness-to-business transactions that allows for efficientidentification and organization of products to be sold/purchased, aswell as conversations around images of those products to be sold and/orpurchased. According to one embodiment of the invention, the VC tool isaccessed via a web browser over the Internet. The browser-based VC toolallows end users to generate visual arrangements (also referred to aslookbooks) and share them with other end users without having todownload a stand-alone copy of the VC tool. The visual arrangements areshared/published via email. Emails are generated with links to thevisual arrangements which eliminates the need to send the visualarrangements as attachments. Such emails are hereinafter referred to asvmails (visual emails). The browser-based VC tool also allows end usersto view the shared visual arrangements, transmit comments, make notes,generate new visual arrangements based on shared visual arrangements,and place orders for products depicted in the visual arrangements, allwithout downloading the VC tool on the end devices.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the visual communications system accordingto an embodiment of the present invention. The visual communicationssystem of FIG. 13 is similar to the visual communications system of FIG.1, except that none of the end user devices need to download the VC toolin order to take advantage of the various functionalities of the system.Of course, the tool can, be downloaded if desired as described abovewith respect to FIG. 1.

The visual communications system includes a VC server 10 a which may besimilar to the VC server 10 of FIG. 1. The VC server 10 a includes anaddressable memory for storing computer program instructions to beexecuted by a processor. The memory is implemented using standard memorydevices such as a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory(ROM). In one embodiment, the memory stores a number of software objectsor modules including a VC tool module 20 c. The VC tool module 20 c isconfigured to provide a VC tool to end devices 12 a-12 c (collectivelyreferred to as 12) over a data communications network 18 a. The datacommunications network 18 a may be similar to the data communicationsnetwork of FIG. 1. According to one embodiment, the VC tool module 20 cprovides the VC tool as a web application that is accessed by the enddevices via a web browser 19 a-19 c (collectively referred to as 19).

The end devices 12 a-12 c may be similar to the end devices 12, 14, and18 of FIG. 1. Thus, like the end devices of FIG. 1, each of the enddevices of FIG. 13 may be a personal computer, laptop, tablet computer,smart phone, or other consumer electronics device conventional in theart. Each of the end devices 12 a-12 c have a processor and memoryincluding computer program instructions, which, when executed by theprocessor of the end device, causes the end device to achieve the visualcommunication functionalities of the system. The end devices are alsoequipped with one or more input devices (e.g. physical/onscreenkeyboard, mouse, stylus, multi-touch screen, etc.) for receiving userinputs, and one or more output devices (e.g. display screen, printer,etc.) for providing user outputs.

According to one embodiment, the VC server 10 a is coupled to a centraldata store 28 a which may be similar to the central data store 28 ofFIG. 1. The central data store 28 a includes an image repository whichstores all images uploaded to the server 10 a by the end devices 12. Thecentral data store 28 a also includes a database of tables and recordsthat stores information useful for implementation of the various visualcommunication functionalities of the system.

FIG. 14 is a schematic layout diagram of a database model for storingand organizing information in the database of the central data store 28a according to one embodiment of the invention. The database includes aperson table 500 storing a person record for each end user who generatesa visual arrangement.

The person table 500 is associated with a saved lookbook table 504 and apublished lookbook table 506. The saved lookbook table 504 stores asaved lookbook record for each visual arrangement created and saved by aperson in the person table. Each saved lookbook record is identified bya lookbook ID, and is associated with a saved picture record in a savedpicture table 502. The saved picture record identifies an image includedin the associated lookbook, via an image ID. The actual images arestored in the image repository. Metadata information about the imagesand products depicted in the images are stored in saved picture metadatarecords and associated with the corresponding saved picture records. Themetadata records are stored in a saved picture metadata table 510.

Once the visual arrangement is published to a recipient in a vmail, apublished lookbook record is created and stored in the publishedlookbook table 506 for the particular lookbook. Each published lookbookrecord includes a published lookbook ID and a revision number. Therevision number is 0 for a first version of the visual arrangementpublished by the author. A published picture record is generated foreach picture in the published lookbook, and stored in a publishedpicture table 508 in association with the corresponding publishedlookbook record. Metadata information for each published picture isstored in a published picture metadata record and associated with thecorresponding published picture record. The published picture metadatarecords are stored in a published picture metadata table 512.

Each time the particular lookbook is republished with content changes,the current record in the lookbook table 504 for the lookbook is savedinto a history table (not shown), and the current record is replacedwith an updated lookbook record reflecting the changes. The revisionnumber in the updated lookbook record is increased by one relative tothe revision number in the prior lookbook record. The revision numbertherefore identifies the number of times the particular lookbook hasbeen republished with changes. In this manner, the published lookbooktable 504 contains a single lookbook record for a lookbook withinformation on the most current revision published for the lookbook. Onthe other hand, the history table contains a lookbook record for eachrevision of the lookbook. Each lookbook record in the history table isuniquely identified by a combination of lookbook ID and revision number.In this manner, the history table maintains a snapshot of each revisionof the lookbook allowing identification of the changes made fromrevision to revision.

A vmail table 514 stores a vmail record for each person with whom alookbook is shared. Thus, each vmail record is a unique combination of alookbook ID and a recipient ID. According to one embodiment, the vmailrecord contains data that helps control user level access to informationcontained in the associated lookbook.

FIG. 15 is a screen shot of a VC tool 601 provided by the VC tool module20 c according to one embodiment of the invention. The VC tool isaccessed and displayed by the web browser 19 on a display screen coupledto an accessing end device 12. According to one embodiment of theinvention, the VC tool 601 includes a first display area 600 and asecond display area 602. A list of vmails, replies, and notifications(e.g. view receipt notifications) transmitted to the user of the enddevice are displayed in the first display area 600 upon selection of aninbox icon 604. According to one embodiment, the vmails, replies, andnotifications are transmitted and received via traditional email.

A recipient of a vmail may transmit his or comments in regards to ashared visual arrangement by transmitting a reply to the vmail.According to one embodiment, the database model includes a commentstable (not shown) storing all comments transmitted for each publishedvisual arrangement. By maintaining track of the comments, the VC toolcan display a numerical alert 606 next to the vmail sharing the visualarrangement. The numerical alert indicates the total number of commentsmade for the visual arrangement.

According to one embodiment, selection of the numerical alert 606invokes a reply history window 608 such as the one depicted in thescreen shot of FIG. 16. The reply history window includes a list ofcomments 610 published for the visual arrangement. Each comment in thelist is identified by an author's name as well as a date of the comment.Selecting a particular comment from the reply history window allows arecipient of the comment to in turn reply directly to the sender. Inthis regard, each comment record in the comments table includesinformation of the commenting person. The comment record is generatedwhen the commenting person sends the reply. The reply also causesincrease of the numerical alert 606 reflecting the total reply count forthe visual arrangement.

Referring again to FIG. 15, selection of a particular vmail 620 in theuser's inbox causes a display of the visual arrangement shared by thevmail, in the first display area 600. FIG. 17 is a screen shot of anexemplary visual arrangement 630 that is displayed in the first displayarea 600. The shared visual arrangement may be the basis of one or morenew visual arrangements generated by the recipient of the vmail 620. Forexample, a visual arrangement of suggested buys may be shared with apotential buyer via vmail. The buyer may select one or more of thesuggested buys and generate-a new visual arrangement based on theselected items. For example, the buyer may wish to create a new visualarrangement containing only the items that he or she will purchase.Instead of going through the process described above of generating afolio, storyboard, or presentation, the buyer may simply click and dragthe desired images in the shared visual arrangement, and drop thoseimages in the second display area 602 to generate the new visualarrangement with the dropped images.

FIG. 18 is a screen shot of the exemplary visual arrangement of FIG. 17,showing a selection of one of the images 632 published to the user viathe vmail 620. Displayed adjacent to the image is a product informationbox 634 a which provides metadata information about the product depictedin the image. The product information box 634 a appears next to theimage as soon as the user manipulates the user input device to hoverover the image. According to one embodiment, the VC tool module 20 cretrieves the metadata information from the published picture metadatarecord stored in the published picture metadata table 510.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the user drags and dropsthe image 632 into the second display area 602 in order to automaticallycreate a new visual arrangement. In response to the image being droppedinto the second display area 602, the VC tool module 20 c creates thenew visual arrangement including the dropped image. The second displayarea 602 thus functions as a template for generating new visualarrangements.

FIG. 19 is a screen shot of the VC tool showing a dropped image 636 inthe second display area 602. The dropped image is displayed concurrentlywith the image 632 in the first display area 600 that was published tothe user via the particular vmail 620.

FIG. 20 is another screen shot of the VC tool depicting the dragging anddropping of an image 638 from the first display area to the seconddisplay area 602. A person of skill in the art should recognize thatother selection mechanisms conventional in the art may also be employed,and the invention is not limited to dragging and dropping. For example,instead of dragging and dropping, a user may click on an image andselect a “send to new” option to automatically transfer a copy of theimage to the second display area 602.

According to one embodiment of the invention, in addition to generatingvisual arrangements from other visual arrangements published to a user,the user may also generate visual arrangements from images obtained fromthe Internet. As depicted in FIG. 21, the VC tool 601 includes a webimages tab 640 which may be accessed to enter a search term in a searcharea 642. In response to receipt of the search term, the VC tool module20 c invokes a search engine to search for images based on the enteredsearch term. The results of the search are displayed by the VC toolmodule 20 c in the first display area 600 of the VC tool 601. Specificimages may be selected from the first display area and dragged to thesecond display area 602. In response to dropping an image in the seconddisplay area, the VC tool module 20 c generates a new visual arrangementincluding the image, or adds the image to a current visual arrangementalready on the works. Thus, the user of VC tool can search for images onthe Internet and add those images to a visual arrangement withoutleaving the VC tool.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a user may also add notesfor a particular product depicted in a shared image displayed in thefirst display area 600, without leaving the VC tool. The notes aremaintained in association with the image.

FIG. 22 is a screen shot of the VC tool showing a notes option 650 withrespect to a particular image 656. According to one embodiment, thenotes option 650 is provided in the product information box 634 b whichappears when the user manipulates the user input to hover over theparticular image 656. The product information box 634 b may also appearupon clicking the particular image 656.

Selection of the notes option 650 causes display of a notepad 652 in aseparate pop-up window as depicted in the screen shot of FIG. 23. A usermay enter any desired text into the notepad 652 and select an add option654 when he or she is finished. In response to receipt of the add option654, the VC tool module 20 c generates a copy of the image 656 and addsthe copy to a new visual arrangement or a visual arrangement already inthe works in the second display area 602. Thus, the user need not open aseparate application if he or she wants to create and store his thoughtsor observations with respect to a product depicted in a image. Also, theentered notes remain associated with the image 656 so that a user caneasily identify the product to which the notes pertain.

FIG. 24 is a screen shot of the VC tool 601 showing a copied image 658in the second display area 602. In the example depicted in FIG. 24, thecopied image 658 is added to a visual arrangement 670 in the works inthe second display area 602, in response to selection of the add option654 in the notepad 652. According to one embodiment of the invention,the added notes are stored in a metadata record for the copied image658. In this regard, the published picture metadata record stored in thepublished picture metadata table 510 for the image 656 is copied first,and the notes are then added to the copied metadata record. If the imagewas shared with any prior notes, such notes are copied when the metadatarecord is copied, and, the new notes added by the recipient are tackedonto the prior notes and saved.

FIG. 25 is a screen shot depicting display of metadata information 660stored for the copied image 658. According to one embodiment, thedisplay of the metadata information is invoked upon selection of theimage. The metadata information provides various details about theimage, including, for example, the date in which the image was created,the author creating the image, and product information depicted in theimage. With respect to the author and creation date, the informationidentifies the person creating the copy of the image, and date in whichthe copy was made, and not the author and creation date of the originalimage 656. In addition, the metadata information includes any priornotes that may have been made with respect to the image and shared withthe recipient, as well as any new notes added by the recipient.

According to, one embodiment, the author of the image may makemodifications, addition, and/or deletions to the metadata information660. The author may also apply the same modifications to the otherimages in the current visual arrangement 670, eliminating the need tomanually re-enter the same modifications to each of the other images. Inthis regard, the author selects an apply to many icon 662 toautomatically apply the modifications to multiple images.

FIG. 26 is a screen shot of the metadata information 660 including twochanges 674, 676 entered by the author. In the illustrated example, thechanges relate to a delivery field and a target retail field. Accordingto one embodiment, the changes are highlighted for easy identification.Selection of the apply to many icon 662 causes display of a window 672including thumbnails of images in the current visual arrangement 670 towhich the modifications to the metadata may automatically be applied.The user may select one or more images, such as, for example, image 636,and the VC tool module 20 c saves the changes entered for the image 658,in the metadata record associated with the selected image 636.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the author may also swapan image in the current visual arrangement 670 with another image. Inthis regard, the author selects a desired image 680 and actuates an editimage option 682, as depicted in the screen shot of FIG. 27. In responseto the actuation, the VC tool module 20 c displays a replace imagepop-up window 684 as depicted in FIG. 28, which the author may use tobrowse existing images and select an image that he or she would like touse to replace the current image 680. Identification of such an imageand selection of a replace option 686 causes the current image 680 to beswapped with the selected image. The selected image is uploaded to theimage repository and assigned a unique image ID. A saved picture recordis generated for the uploaded image, and the record is stored in thesaved picture table 502. The VC tool module 20 c uses the image ID ofthe uploaded image to generate an association between the saved picturerecord and the picture metadata record of the image 680 that was swappedout. Thus, the swapping feature replaces an image without deleting themetadata information. This may be useful, for example, when an image ofa not-yet-finalized product is temporarily used for generating thevisual arrangement, and the temporary image is then replaced with afinal image of the finalized product.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the author of the currentvisual arrangement 670 may identify a layout that he or she wants to useto present the images in the visual arrangement to a selected recipient.In this regard, the VC tool 601 provides a set layout option 690 asdepicted in the screen shot of FIG. 29. Selection of the set layoutoption 690 causes the VC tool module 20 c to display a layout pop-upwindow 692 that includes various preset layouts that the author mayselect. Selection of a specific layout 700 causes the VC tool module 20c to save the selected layout in association with the saved lookbookrecord for the current visual arrangement 670.

When the author is done adding images to the current visual arrangement670, he or she may share it with one or more recipients via vmail byselecting a share option 712 as depicted in the screen shot of FIG. 30.Selection of the share option 712 causes the VC tool module 20 c todisplay a share pop-up window 714 prompting the author to identify therecipients of the vmail. In doing so, the author may indicate whetherany comments made by the recipients will be viewed by the author only,or sent to all recipients. The author may also indicate, by selectingoption 716, that the vmail is to be sent with any notes that may havebeen added to one or more images of the visual arrangement.

Actuation of a send button 718 causes the VC tool module 20 c togenerate a record in the published lookbook table for the particularvisual arrangement that is shared. The VC tool module 20 c alsogenerates a vmail record in the vmail table 514 for each recipient ofthe lookbook. The VC tool module 20 c further generates an email with alink to the visual arrangement and transmits the email to eachrecipient. According to one embodiment of the invention, the linkidentifies the published visual arrangement. The Published visualarrangement is rendered in a browser according to conventionalmechanisms when this link is accessed using the browser.

FIG. 31 is a screen shot of a vmail received by a recipient according toone embodiment of the invention. The vmail is received by therecipient's email application, and includes a link 800 for accessing theshared visual arrangement. Selection of the link 800 by the recipientinvokes the user's web browser 19 and causes the web browser to accessthe VC tool provided by the VC tool module 20 c to display the sharedvisual arrangement in the first display area 600 of the VC tool. Theimages of the shared visual arrangement are displayed according to thedisplay layout selected by the sender.

FIG. 32 is a screen shot of the visual arrangement that is displayedupon selection of the link 800 in the vmail depicted in FIG. 31.According to one embodiment of the invention, the VC tool module 20 ccontrols the access to the information contained in the lookbook basedon the vmail record generated for the particular recipient. For example,the recipient may not be allowed to view notes or comments associatedwith the lookbook.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a recipient of the vmailmay place an order for one or more products depicted in a shared visualarrangement. FIG. 33 is a screen shot of an exemplary visual arrangement940 shared with the recipient via a vmail. The images of the productscontained in the visual arrangement 940 are displayed in the firstdisplay area 600 of the VC tool. Information of each product, such as,for example, product 924, is displayed in a product information box 634c next to the product as the user input device hovers over the image ofthe product. According to one embodiment of the invention, the productinformation box 634 c includes an order pad option 900 which the usermay actuate to place an order for the particular product 924 to whichthe product information box pertains.

Upon receipt of the selection of the order pad option 900, the VC toolmodule 20 c invokes an order pop-up window 920, as depicted in thescreen shot of FIG. 34. The order pop-up window includes a picture ofthe selected product 924 along with product information such as, forexample, style number, price, colors, sizes, and the like, in agrid-like form. The user places an order right from the pop-up window byselecting a quantity of the various sizes and/or colors that aredesired, and selects an add to cart option 926 for causing the VC toolmodule 20 c to add the selected product in his or her shopping cart.

FIG. 35 is a screen shot of the user's shopping cart with images andinformation of all products that have been selected for purchase. Theuser may choose to save the items in the cart by selecting a save option954. Selection of the save option stores the shopping cart in an orderfolder 952. When the user is ready to purchase the items, he or sheselects a proceed to checkout option 956, which causes the VC toolmodule 20 c to process the purchase order according to conventionalonline order processing mechanisms.

According to one embodiment, the VC tool module 20 c provides a visualorder confirmation for the purchased items, as is depicted in the screenshot of FIG. 36. In this regard, the VC tool module 20 c creates a newvisual arrangement 942 containing images of the purchased products anddisplays the visual arrangement in the first display area 600 of the VCtool. According to one embodiment, the visual order confirmation may beshared with the buyer in a vmail. According to one embodiment, thevisual arrangement 942 is displayed according to the format employed forthe visual arrangement 940 (FIG. 33) from which the order was placed.That is, the visual arrangement 942 groups the products according to thegrouping employed in the visual arrangement 940. In this manner, theintegrity of the group/structure of the original presentation ismaintained for the ordered items so that the buyer and seller mayvisually confirm that the right products have been selected from theright groups.

The generating of a visual arrangement 942 of the purchased items alsoallows the buyer to manipulate the images in the visual arrangement togenerate other new visual arrangements. For example, the user may dragand drop particular images 960 from the first display area 600 to thesecond display area 602 to generate a new visual arrangement, as isdepicted in FIG. 37. The user may then reorganize the images in the newvisual arrangement to change, for example, the grouping of the images.

Referring again to FIG. 36, the buyer may also print an orderconfirmation upon selecting a print order confirmation option 946. FIG.38 is a screen shot of an order confirmation pop-up window 950 withdetails on the products that have been ordered along with images for theordered products.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the VC tool module 20 ctracks activities surrounding vmails and generates reports of suchactivities in response to a user command. FIG. 39 is a screenshot of theVC tool allowing a user to view such activities. In this regard, the VCtool includes a sales dashboard option 970 which, when actuated by auser, causes the VC tool module 20 c to display a window prompting inputof one or more categories 978 of activities for which a report may begenerated, as well as time frame 978 of those activities.

In response to a user selection of a generate option 976, the VC toolmodule 20 c displays a summary of the selected activities for theidentified time frame, both graphically and in number format. Forexample, in response to a user input, the VC tool module 20 c maydisplay a total number of vmails sent 972 within the specified period oftime and a total number of vmails that have been viewed 974 during thattime period. The user may also view additional information about thoseactivities as is displayed in FIG. 40. For example, the user may viewdetailed information about those recipients that have viewed the vmailsand use this information to follow-up with the recipients.

Referring again to FIG. 39, the VC tool also includes an executivedashboard option 1006 for an administrator which allows him or her toview activities of multiple users of the system, as is depicted in FIG.41. For example, the VC tool module 20 c may track for the multipleusers, an aggregate number of vmails sent 990, vmails viewed 992, and atotal number of purchase orders 1000 received from those vmails. Theexecutive dashboard also provides a total number of vmails that havebeen viewed but for which no orders have been received 1002, and a totalnumber of vmails that have not yet been viewed, prompting follow-up withthose non-responsive recipients. The executive dashboard furtherincludes a chart of total sales revenue 1008 across the multiple users.

Selection of the total sales revenue chart 1008 causes display of thebreakdown of the total sales revenue by customer name as is depicted inFIG. 42. Selection of an entry pertaining to a particular customer 1100causes display of detailed information about the sale to that customeras is depicted in FIG. 43.

Referring again to FIG. 41, selection of the entry listing a totalnumber of vmails that have been viewed but for which no orders have beenreceived 1002 causes display of detailed information of such customersas is depicted in FIG. 44. Based on this information, the administratormay prompt a salesperson to follow up with those customers.

FIGS. 45A-45C are flow charts of a process for generating a new visualarrangement based on a visual arrangement published to an recipientaccording to one embodiment of the invention.

In step 1200, the VC tool module 20 c transmits a vmail to a recipientwith a link for accessing a visual arrangement/lookbook containing oneor more images/pictures. The vmail is transmitted over the datacommunications network 18 a as an email message where the link isincluded in the body of the email. The link may be, for example, aUniform Resource Locator (URL) that renders a web page containing thevisual arrangement. The email recipient accesses the vmail via his orher standard browser application.

In step 1202, the VC tool module 20 c receives actuation of the linkincluded in the email message, and in step 1204, identifies a web pageassociated with the visual arrangement.

In step 1206, the VC tool module 20 c causes display of the visualarrangement on the recipient's end device 12. In this regard, the VCtool module 20 c provides the VC tool for display by the recipient's webbrowser 19, and further transmits the visual arrangement to the enddevice 12 via the VC tool. The visual arrangement is then displayed inthe first display area of the VC tool via the web browser.

The recipient manipulates his mouse or other input device to select animage from the visual arrangement displayed in the first display area.The selection may be clicking on the image, simply hovering the user'sinput device over the image, or any mechanism of selecting the imagethat may be conventional in the art.

In step 1208, the VC tool module 20 c receives selection of the imageand in step 1210, causes display of metadata stored in association withthe selected image in a product information box, such as, for example,product information box 634 a (FIG. 18) adjacent to the image. In thisregard, the VC tool module identifies the picture metadata record storedin the picture metadata table 512 for the particular picture, retrievesthe information stored in the metadata record, and transmits theretrieved information to the end device 12 over the data communicationsnetwork.

In step 1212, the VC tool module 20 c makes a determination is made asto whether the selected picture is dragged and dropped in the seconddisplay area 602 of the VC tool. If the answer is YES, the VC toolmodule 20 c proceeds to create, in step 1214, a new visual arrangementcontaining the dropped image.

In step 1214, the VC tool module causes concurrent display of the newvisual arrangement including the copied image in the second display area602 of the VC tool, along with the visual arrangement which was sharedvia the vmail, in the first display area 600.

Referring again to step 1212, if the selected image is not dragged anddropped into the second display area 602, the VC tool module 20 c makesa determination as to whether the recipient has selected to add notesfor the selected image. This may be done, for example, by selecting anotes option such as, for example, notes option 650 (FIG. 22), from aproduct information box such as, for example, product information box643 b.

If the notes option is selected, the VC tool module 20 c causes displayof a note pad in step 1302. The note pad may be similar to the note pad652 of FIG. 23.

In step 1304, the VC tool module 20 c determines whether, after enteringdesired notes, the user selected an add option such as, for example, theadd option 654 of FIG. 23. If no notes are to be added as determined instep 1310, the process exits.

If notes are to be added, the VC tool module 20 c generates a new visualarrangement containing the selected image and any notes added withrespect to that image, in step 1306. The new visual arrangement isconcurrently displayed, in step 1308, in the second display area 602 ofthe VC tool along with a display of the visual arrangement shared withthe recipient via the vmail and displayed in the first display area 600of the VC tool.

Referring again to step 1300, if the recipient has not selected to addnotes for the selected image, a determination is made in step 1320 as towhether the recipient has selected to place an online order for theproduct depicted in the selected image. This may be done, for example,by selecting an order option such as, for example, order option 900(FIG. 33), from a product information box such as, for example, productinformation box 634 c.

If the order option is selected, the VC tool module 20 c causes displayof an order pad in step 1322. The order pad may be similar to the orderpad 920 of FIG. 34, with information on the particular product selectedand a prompt for entry of desired quantities of the particular product.

In step 1324, a determination is made as to whether the product is toadded to the user's shopping cart. If the product is not to be added tothe shopping cart, as determined in step 1326, the process ends.However, if the product is to be added, a conventional shopping cartalgorithm is invoked in step 1328 to place the ordered item into theuser's shopping cart.

In step 1330, a determination is made as to whether the items in theuser's shopping cart are to be purchased. If the items are not to bepurchased, but the shopping cart is to be saved 1332 or updated 1334,the VC tool module 20 c proceeds to save 1336 or update 1338 theshopping cart respectively. If, however, the items in the shopping cartare to be purchased, the VC tool module 20 c processes the purchaseaccording to conventional online ordering mechanisms, in step 1340.

In step 1342, the VC tool module 20 c generates a new visual arrangementincluding images of the purchased items.

In step 1344, the VC tool module 20 c provides a visual orderconfirmation based on the generated new visual arrangement. The visualorder confirmation may be similar to the visual order confirmation ofFIG. 36.

FIG. 46 is a more detailed flow chart of steps 1214, 1306, and 1342 forgenerating anew visual arrangement including a selected image accordingto one embodiment of the invention. In step 1400, the VC tool module 20c creates a new lookbook record for the new visual arrangement forstoring in the saved lookbook table 504.

In step 1402, the VC tool module 20 c adds the selected image to thevisual arrangement. In this regard, the VC tool module 20 c generates anew picture record for the selected picture and stores the picturerecord in the saved picture table 502.

In step 1218, the VC tool module 20 c copies the metadata of theselected image. In this regard, the VC tool module identifies a metadatarecord for the dropped picture from the published picture metadata table508, and copies and stores the values in that record in a new metadatarecord of a saved picture metadata table 502. If the new visualarrangement is generated in response to adding notes to the selectedpicture, the newly added notes are stored in a notes field of the newmetadata record.

In step 1220, the VC tool module 20 c creates a copy of the selectedimage and stores the copy of the image in the image repository of thecentral data store 28 a. The copy of the image is assigned a new imageID, and the generated lookbook record, picture record, and metadatarecord, are all associated with the copy of the image based on the newimage ID. The VC tool module 20 c further associates the new visualarrangement, the copied image, and copied metadata with the vmailrecipient by storing the ID corresponding to the vmail recipient into anauthor field of the various records.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the VC tool allows a userto view a history of updates to a shared visual arrangement. FIG. 47A isa screen shot of the VC tool providing a history option 1500 which theuser may select for viewing the history of updates for a current visualarrangement 1504 displayed in the first display area 600.

Selection of the history option 1500 causes display of a history pop-upwindow 1502 with an entry 1506 for an original published version of thevisual arrangement, as well as entries 1508, 1510 for each publishedrevision of the visual arrangement. According to one embodiment, theentries with revisions are highlighted via, for example, an updatesymbol 1512.

Selection of an entry for a particular published revision of the visualarrangement, such as, for example, entry 1510, provides information onthe updates that were made relative to a prior revision of the visualarrangement, such as, for example, entry 1508. A list of the changes1514 in the selected revision of the visual arrangement relative to theprior revision are listed in a preview area 1516 of the pop-up window.

FIG. 47B is an exemplary screen shot depicting another history pop-upwindow 1502 b with details on modifications 1514 b made to a selectedrevision 1510 b of a lookbook. In this example, the details indicatethat specific images have been deleted from the lookbook.

FIG. 48 is a flow diagram of a process for publishing and republishingvisual arrangements according to one embodiment of the invention.

In step 1600, the VC tool module 20 c publishes an original visualarrangement generated by an author. In this regard, the VC tool module20 c transmits an email to a recipient including a link for accessingthe visual arrangement.

In step 1602, the VC tool module 20 c determines whether content changeshave been made to the visual arrangement. For example, an author of thevisual arrangement may make changes to the visual arrangement after ithas been shared with a list of recipients, including, for example,adding, deleting, or modifying images and/or adding, deleting ormodifying product descriptions.

If the original visual arrangement has been changed, the VC tool module25 c, in step 1604, first copies the published lookbook record that iscurrently stored for the visual arrangement in the published lookbooktable 506, and adds the copied lookbook record to a lookbook historytable (not shown). All other associated records such as, for example,the metadata records and picture records are also copied to theirrespective history tables. According to one embodiment, the lookbookrecord and lookbook metadata records are always copied to thecorresponding history tables whenever there is a change to a publishedlookbook. For the pictures associated with this published lookbook, thepublished picture records and published picture metadata records arecopied to the corresponding history tables if there is a change to thepublished picture record or published picture metadata record.

After a snapshot of the existing data is preserved in the historytables, the VC tool module 25 c proceeds to update the current publishedlookbook record with the relevant changes including, for example,increasing the revision number to reflect the current revision. Theupdated published lookbook record is then stored in the publishedlookbook table 504. According to one embodiment, the lookbook ID doesnot change when the lookbook is updated—only the revision numberchanges. The published picture records are also updated if the imageshave been updated. The published metadata records are further updated ifthe product descriptions have been updated.

In step 1608, the VC tool module 25 c identifies the recipients toreceive the updated visual arrangement, and in step 1610, the VC toolmodule publishes the updated visual arrangement to the identifiedrecipients. In determining whether a user needs to get a copy of theupdated lookbook, the VC tool module retrieves the lookbook ID andrevision fields stored in the current lookbook record and compares itwith the lookbook ID and revision fields of the vmail record of theuser. The user gets a copy of the updated lookbook if the user does nothave a record in the vmail table 514 for this lookbook. In this regard,the VC tool module 25 c searches the vmail table 514 for a recordcontaining the user's recipient ID as well as the lookbook ID for theupdated lookbook.

The user also gets a copy of the updated lookbook if the revision fieldin his or her vmail table contains a lower value than the revision fieldin the published lookbook table for this lookbook for this user.

Referring again to step 1602, if the content of the visual arrangementhas not been changed, but the lookbook needs to be republished because anew recipient has been added, as determined in step 1612, the VC toolmodule 20 c proceeds to step 1608 to identify the recipient(s) whoshould receive the visual arrangement, and proceeds to publish thevisual arrangement to the identified recipient(s). According to oneembodiment of the invention, adding a new recipient does not cause achange in the revision number. Hence, adding the new recipient does notcause execution of steps 1604 and 1606.

FIG. 49 is a flow diagram of a process for outputting revisioninformation in response to selection of a particular revision entry fromthe history pop-up window 1502 (FIG. 47A) according to one embodiment ofthe invention. In step 1700, the VC tool module 20 c identifies aselected revision entry such as, for example, entry 1510.

In step 1702, the VC tool module 20 c retrieves lookbook information forthe selected revision. In this regard, the VC tool module 20 c retrievesthe lookbook record for the selected revision from the lookbook historytable.

In step 1704, the VC tool module 20 c identifies a prior revisionnumber. This may be done by decreasing the revision number for theselected revision by one.

In step 1706, the VC tool module 20 c retrieves the lookbook record forthe prior revision from the lookbook history table.

In step 1708, the VC tool module 20 c compares details for the retrievedlookbook records and identifies differences between the two lookbooks.In doing so, the VC tool module 20 c may also retrieve and comparehistory records of pictures and metadata associated with the retrievedlookbook records.

In step 1710, the VC tool module 20 c outputs the results of thecomparison. The results provide details on how the selected revision ofthe lookbook has changed relative to the prior revision.

It will be understood that the processes of FIGS. 45A-45C, FIG. 46, andFIGS. 48-49 may be described in terms of a software routine executed bythe processor in the server 10 a based on instructions stored in theserver's memory. The instructions may also be stored in othernon-transient computer readable media such as, for example, a CD-ROM,flash drive, or the like. A person of skill in the art should alsorecognize that the routine may be executed via hardware, firmware (e.g.via an ASIC), or in any combination of software, firmware, and/orhardware. Furthermore, the sequence of steps of the process is notfixed, but can be altered into any desired sequence as recognized by aperson of skill in the art.

A person of skill in the art should recognize that embodiments of thepresent invention allow efficient communication of visual arrangements,and intuitive and simple creation of new visual arrangements based onreceived arrangements. For example, sales teams can simply drag and droppictures into vmail templates and create a new visual arrangement withthe dropped pictures for potential buyers. Pertinent details stay rightnext to pictures complete with a comments history making the experiencefaster and easier for buyers to see and respond to products. Buyers canalso see products quickly via a simple link in an email message insteadof attachments with pertinent details in full-view right next topictures. Buyers can respond with orders and reorders right next topictures and easily print in neatly organized formats perfect to take toa merchandise meeting. Sales teams receive visual notifications givingthem immediate awareness of viewing activity and comments from theirbuyers. Costs are significantly reduced by eliminating wasted samples,color copies and overnight shipping expenses. Sales are alsodramatically increased because the VC tool makes it easier for buyers tosee and respond to products.

While certain exemplary embodiments have been described above in detailand shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that suchembodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive of the broadinvention. In particular, it should be recognized that the teachings ofthe invention apply to a wide variety of systems and processes. Forexample, the various embodiments of the present invention may beextended to systems and processes outside the fashion andlifestyle-driven industries. Furthermore, although the visualarrangements are described with respect to still images and pictures, aperson of skill in the art should recognize that the visual arrangementsmay take the form of any multimedia presentation or arrangementconventional in the art. The comments may also not be limited to textcomments, but may also extend to audio comments and the like. It willthus be recognized that various modifications may be made to theillustrated and other embodiments of the invention described above,without departing from the broad inventive scope thereof. In view of theabove it will be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular embodiments or arrangements disclosed, but is rather intendedto cover any changes, adaptations or modifications which are within thescope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:providing, by a processor, a visual communications tool to a user deviceaccessible to a user; identifying, by the processor, in response toactuation of a first option on the visual communications tool, a visualarrangement including a plurality of images; storing, by the processor,the visual arrangement in a data storage device; transmitting, by theprocessor, a first message to a first recipient in response to actuationof a second option on the visual communications tool, wherein the firstmessage includes a link for accessing the visual arrangement;transmitting, by the processor, a second message to a second recipientin response to the actuation of the second option, wherein the secondmessage includes the link for accessing the visual arrangement;receiving, by the processor, a first actuation of the link in the firstmessage received by the first recipient, and a second actuation of thelink in the second message received by the second recipient; in responseto receiving the first and second actuations, causing, by the processor,display of the plurality of images on respectively first and secondrecipient devices, along with display of an input area; receiving, bythe processor, from the first and second recipients, respectively firstand second inputs provided in the input area displayed on respectivelythe first and second recipient devices; after receipt of the first andsecond inputs by the processor: providing, by the processor, a firstnotification to the user for alerting the user of the first input;causing, by the processor, display of the first input via the visualcommunications tool of the user device; providing, by the processor, asecond notification to the user for alerting the user of the secondinput; causing, by the processor, display of the second input via thevisual communications tool of the user device; receiving a request fromthe first recipient to access the visual arrangement; and in response toreceipt of the first request from the first recipient, causing, by theprocessor, display of the first input on the first recipient devicewithout displaying, on the first recipient device, the second input fromthe second recipient, wherein the second input is tagged with particulardata, wherein in response to the second input being tagged with theparticular data, the processor causes the display of the first input onthe first recipient device without displaying, on the first recipientdevice, the second input from the second recipient.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first and second inputs are order amounts of aproduct depicted in one of the plurality of images.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first or second input on the user device accessibleto the user is on a portion of the visual communications tool separatefrom a portion of the visual communications tool displaying theplurality of images.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the display ofthe first or second input is displayed in correlation to an identifierof one of the plurality of images.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein theidentifier is at least one of a name or thumbnail image.
 6. The methodof claim 1 further comprising: receiving first and second emailaddresses of respectively the first and second recipients; andaddressing the first and second messages respectively to the first andsecond email addresses.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising inresponse to receiving the first or second actuations, causing, by theprocessor, display of metadata about a product depicted in theparticular image one of the plurality of images.
 8. The method of claim1, wherein the input is correlated to the particular image one of theplurality of images based on a reference identifying one of theplurality of images.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first andsecond messages are generated via an email application.
 10. The methodof claim 9, wherein the email application is integrated with the visualcommunications tool.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofimages are displayed on a web page accessed via a web browser of thefirst or second recipient devices, wherein the web page is accessed uponactuation of the link in the first or second messages.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the visual communications tool is coupled to theprocessor over a wide area network.
 13. The method of claim 12, whereinthe visual communications tool is configured to operate in an offlinemode without connection to the network, wherein in response to contentsof the first and second messages being generated in the offline mode,the contents of the first and second messages are stored in a localstorage device of the user device accessible to the user, wherein thecontents of the first and second messages are uploaded to the processorin response to detecting connection to the processor.
 14. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising: after receipt of the first and second inputsby the processor: receiving a request from the second recipient toaccess the visual arrangement; in response to receipt of the secondrequest from the second recipient, causing, by the processor, display ofthe first and second inputs on the second recipient device.
 15. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: receiving from the first andsecond recipients, respectively first and second modifications to thevisual arrangement; and in response to the receipt of the first requestfrom the first recipient, causing, by the processor, display of thefirst and second modifications to the visual arrangement, on the firstrecipient device.
 16. A system comprising: a processor; and a memory,wherein the memory includes instructions that cause the processor to:provide a visual communications tool to a user device accessible to auser; identify, in response to actuation of a first option on the visualcommunications tool, a visual arrangement including a plurality ofimages; store the visual arrangement in a data storage device; transmita first message to a first recipient in response to actuation of asecond option on the visual communications tool, wherein the firstmessage includes a link for accessing the visual arrangement; transmit asecond message to a second recipient in response to the actuation of thesecond option, wherein the second message includes the link foraccessing the visual arrangement; receive a first actuation of the linkin the first message received by the first recipient, and a secondactuation of the link in the second message received by the secondrecipient; in response to receiving the first and second actuations,cause display of the plurality of images on respectively first andsecond recipient devices, along with display of an input area; receivefrom the first and second recipients, respectively first and secondinputs provided in the input area displayed on respectively the firstand second recipient devices; after receipt of the first and secondinputs: provide a first notification to the user for alerting the userof the first input; cause display of the first input via the visualcommunications tool of the user device; provide a second notification tothe user for alerting the user of the second input; cause display of thesecond input via the visual communications tool of the user device;receive a request from the first recipient to access the visualarrangement; and in response to receipt of the first request from thefirst recipient, cause display of the first input on the first recipientdevice without displaying, on the first recipient device, the secondinput from the second recipient, wherein the second input is tagged withparticular data, wherein in response to the second input being taggedwith the particular data, the instructions further cause the processorto display the first input on the first recipient device withoutdisplaying, on the first recipient device, the second input from thesecond recipient.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first andsecond inputs are order amounts of a product depicted in one of theplurality of images.
 18. The system of claim 16, wherein theinstructions that cause the processor to display the first or secondinput on the user device accessible to the user include instructionsthat cause the processor to display the first or second input on aportion of the visual communications tool separate from a portion of thevisual communications tool displaying the plurality of images.
 19. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein the instructions that cause the processor todisplay the first or second input on the user device accessible to theuser include instructions that cause the processor to display the firstor second input in correlation to an identifier of one of the pluralityof images.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the identifier is atleast one of a name or thumbnail image.
 21. The system of claim 16,wherein the instructions further cause the processor to: receive firstand second email addresses of respectively the first and secondrecipients; and address the first and second messages respectively tothe first and second email addresses.
 22. The system of claim 16,wherein the instructions further cause the processor to: in response toreceiving the first or second actuations, cause display of metadataabout a product depicted in one of the plurality of images.
 23. Thesystem of claim 16, wherein the input is correlated to one of theplurality of images based on a reference identifying one of theplurality of images.
 24. The system of claim 16, wherein the first andsecond messages are generated via an email application.
 25. The systemof claim 24 wherein the email application is integrated with the visualcommunications tool.
 26. The system of claim 16, wherein the pluralityof images are displayed on a web page accessed via a web browser of thefirst or second recipient devices, wherein the web page is accessed uponactuation of the link in the first or second messages.
 27. The system ofclaim 16, wherein the visual communications tool is coupled to theprocessor over a wide area network.
 28. The system of claim 27, whereinthe visual communications tool is configured to operate in an offlinemode without connection to the network, wherein in response to contentsof the first and second messages being generated in the offline mode,the contents of the first and second messages are stored in a localstorage device of the user device accessible to the user, wherein thecontents of the first and second messages are uploaded to the processorin response to detecting connection to the processor.
 29. The system ofclaim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to: afterreceipt of the first and second inputs: receive a request from thesecond recipient to access the visual arrangement; in response toreceipt of the second request from the second recipient, cause displayof the first and second inputs on the second recipient device.
 30. Thesystem of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processorto: receive from the first and second recipients, respectively first andsecond modifications to the visual arrangement; and in response to thereceipt of the first request from the first recipient, cause display ofthe first and second modifications to the visual arrangement, on thefirst recipient device.